Culture: Castells / Tarragona
Pillars of the community
In front of a crowd of thousands, Catalans of all ages team up to construct complex human towers, or ‘castells’, in a powerful display of regional identity and unity – and fun. Monocle gets in on the balancing act.
On one Saturday in October, colles – groups consisting of people of all ages from all over Catalonia and beyond – parade down the streets of Tarragona accompanied by bands playing Catalan music. Dressed in white trousers, colourful shirts, sashes and bandannas, they make their way to the Tarraco Arena, an amphitheatre in the heart of town. Boys and girls play the gralla, a double-reed instrument, and drums called timbals. Their progress announces the 29th edition of the biggest gathering of castells, Catalonia’s human towers, which are a feat of…
